The deadline set by the Constitutional Court requires the presidential election process to be completed by October 6.

The political deadlock has coincided with protests in Prishtina over proposed changes to legislation governing the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, with yesterday’s demonstrations turning tense and police using tear gas.

Protests continued into the evening, with demonstrators calling for the draft amendments to the law on the Specialist Chambers to be approved in a second reading. Parliament approved the bill in principle on Monday in an extraordinary session, with 91 votes in favour, none against and no abstentions.

Following the session, Vetëvendosje leader Albin Kurti met Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Bedri Hamza, but the talks failed to produce an agreement on either the presidential election or the Specialist Chambers legislation.

Further protests have been announced for Tuesday by the Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans Organisation (OVL-UÇK), calling for the legislation to be approved in a second reading.

In a September 23 ruling, Kosovo’s Constitutional Court clarified that the 60-day deadline for electing a president began on August 8, when parliament was constituted, and expires on October 6.

Failure to elect a president within the deadline could trigger another political crisis and potentially lead to new parliamentary elections, depending on the subsequent constitutional process.

Kosovo has held three parliamentary elections in the past two years. The February 2025 election failed to produce a government, while a second election, held on December 28, 2025, was followed by an institutional deadlock over the election of a president and ultimately the dissolution of parliament in April. A third parliamentary election was held on June 7, 2026.

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Acting Prime Minister and LVV leader Albin Kurti held a fourth round of talks with LDK leader Lumir Abdixhiku, but both sides acknowledged that significant differences remain, particularly over the country’s future president.

“We still do not have a political agreement,” Kurti told reporters, arguing that LDK’s demands do not reflect the balance of power resulting from the June elections, in which LVV won 53 seats.

The main sticking point is the presidency. LDK, which secured 18 parliamentary seats, has insisted on the right to nominate the next president, a condition Kurti has so far rejected.

Abdixhiku said his party sees the presidency as essential to any broader political deal and warned that LDK has little appetite for further negotiations if its position is not accepted.

The latest talks took place hours before the constitutional deadline for constituting the new parliament. A parliamentary session scheduled for Aug. 6 was postponed after Kurti requested additional time for coalition negotiations.

Kurti has argued that forming a government without a broader agreement on the presidency could trigger another institutional crisis, potentially leading to fresh elections.

Kosovo’s two other main opposition parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), have declined to enter coalition talks, saying they intend to remain in opposition.

While Kurti is widely seen as having sufficient support to constitute parliament and form a government, he lacks the broader parliamentary backing required for the election of a president, a process that requires the participation of at least 80 lawmakers in the 120-seat assembly.

Political analyst Naim Rashiti of the Balkan Policy Group said Kosovo was facing a serious constitutional and political impasse, warning that continued deadlock could prolong institutional instability.

Failure to secure a political agreement on the presidency in the coming months could ultimately force Kosovo into another round of early parliamentary elections.

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During a conversation with journalists, Mazniku said that since the beginning of the third governing mandate, the Socialist Party put the new administrative-territorial reform high in its agenda.

According to him, the commission was established on the basis of two important principles: parity with the opposition and co-chairmanship, as an expression of good faith to build a long-term and comprehensive reform.

He said that the opposition did not contribute to the process, emphasizing that it did not participate in the commission’s work for four months, while the debate then focused on the work calendar. According to Mazniku, the commission’s term was determined since its creation and ended on July 19.

Mazniku argued that the reform is closely linked to the European integration process. He stated that Albania aims to close negotiations with the European Union by the end of 2027 and become a member state in 2029. In this context, according to him, municipalities must be stronger administratively and financially in order to benefit from the EU funds.

According to Mazniku, if the reform is not approved before the 2027 Albania’s local elections, the country will lose an important development opportunity.

If we miss this deadline, i.e. the 2027 deadline, we do not lose a month, but we lose eight years. It cannot start before 2031, because the mandates of those elected in 2027 local elections cannot be interrupted halfway. The adjustment period would be 2031-2035 and we would actually enter full functionality in 2035. Thus, we lose eight years,” he said.

Mazniku emphasized that the goal of the reform is not to change borders for political interests, but to create more functional municipalities, with more human, technical and financial capacities, capable of providing better quality services and promoting the economic development of the territories they administer.

Another pillar of the reform, according to him, is decentralization. Mazniku said that the transfer of functions from the central government to local government cannot be achieved only through legal changes, but requires municipalities with capable administrations, specialists, means and financial resources. /m.q/r.e/p.s./

The court set the April 28 deadline after annulling a decree by former president Vjosa Osmani to dissolve parliament, issued after lawmakers failed to elect a president by March 5 due to a lack of quorum.

If no president is elected by the deadline, the country must hold new elections within 45 days.

Parties have so far failed to agree on candidates.

Kosovo’s constitution requires at least 80 lawmakers to be present for the presidential vote to be valid. If no candidate wins in the first two rounds, a third round is held, in which 60 votes are sufficient to secure the post, provided the quorum is met.

At a session on Monday, attended only by members of the ruling majority, fewer than 70 lawmakers were present.

The session, called by the ruling Vetëvendosje, nominated Feride Rushiti and Hatixhe Hoxha as candidates.

Despite the lack of quorum, a first round of voting was held. Rushiti received 63 votes, Hoxha none, and one ballot was invalid.

Opposition parties and civil society groups said proceeding without quorum undermined the legitimacy of the process and the constitutional order.

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For all other businesses, the final deadline is December 31, 2026.

Recent amendments to the “Tax Procedures Law of the Republic of Albania” aim to reduce cash usage, formalize the economy, and increase transparency in financial transactions.

Under the law, businesses must be equipped with POS terminals, while the allowed cash payment limit between businesses has been reduced from 150,000 lek to 100,000 lek, in order to enhance transaction traceability and reduce tax evasion.

For cash transactions between individuals and self-employed entities, a limit of 500,000 lek has been introduced to curb the circulation of money outside the formal financial system.

The Directorate of Taxation and Customs (DPT) emphasizes that meeting these requirements within the set deadlines will provide faster service for citizens, improve transparency, formalize economic activity, and contribute to modernizing the payment system while combating tax evasion. Noncompliance may result in penalties under existing legislation.

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Speaking at a roundtable discussion with public officials and election experts on Tuesday, Celibashi emphasized the importance of transparency and inclusivity throughout the reform process.

“The transparency and inclusiveness of this process are crucial. The quality of this reform depends directly on how it is implemented, which is why we call on political representatives involved in this process to engage constructively,” he said.

Celibashi stressed that the new legislation must be in effect no later than June 2026 so that political parties, the Central Election Commission and other institutions involved have sufficient time to prepare for the 2027 local elections, as outlined in the Electoral Code.

He urged political forces to contribute constructively to a broadly consulted reform that addresses all issues identified in previous elections.

“The reform should address all problems highlighted during past electoral processes. The process must be open and include consultations with institutions, civil society, the judiciary, the media, and relevant election authorities,” Celibashi said.

He added that consultations should be wide-ranging to ensure that legislative changes are based on a thorough and evidence-based analysis, noting that transparency is key to increasing public trust.

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Speaking on his weekly podcast “Let’s Talk”, Rama said the European Commission had described Albania’s progress in “superlative terms,” noting that the country had opened five of six negotiation clusters in just 11 months.

“I hope and believe that we will open the sixth cluster before the end of this year,” Rama said.

He added that the 2025 progress report explicitly recognized Albania’s technical readiness to wrap up accession negotiations by 2027 – a timeline he said had previously been dismissed by critics as unrealistic.

“Why? Because this is who we are – this is me, this is the Socialist Party,” Rama said.

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Asked by reporters at a press conference following the operational testing of the e-voting and counting system ahead of the next month’s parliamentary elections, the head of the central election body Celibashi underlined that the opposition’s coalition is legally obliged to submit campaign finance and spending reports, but a deadline to do so ends 60 days after announcement of the election results.

“The opposition and DP should submit campaign financial and expenses report, but the deadline ends 60 days after the announcement of the election results and only then does the verification of the figures or whether the documents have been submitted begin,” Celibashi said.

According to him, as a political party this deadline could be extended until next March 31.

“It is legally-binding for the political parties to submit their annual financial and spending reports to the Central Election Commission not later than March 31 of the following year. Electoral subjects should submit their financial and spending reports no later than 60 days after the election results announcement,” he noted.

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Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, the Chair of the Commission Erion Braçe said that after approval of the national draft strategy against disinformation and any foreign interference in the democratic processes 2025-2030 and the roadmap for its implementation have been published on the Parliament’s website and forwarded to civil society actors and factors related to the field of activity of this Commission.

The Socialist lawmaker Brace emphasized that opinions were sought regarding its content so that all parties could express their opinions and suggestions.

Braçe highlighted some of these comments from international organizations such as the OSCE, the Albanian Helsinki Committee, etc., regarding online platforms, strengthening the capacities of operational intelligence units, creating an independent mechanism, the Ethical and Scientific Committee, to monitor the activities of entities dealing with the detection of fake news, fiscal incentives in support of investigative journalism, the integration of fact-checking methods, etc.

The Commission, proposed by Socialist lawmakers, intended to operate for one year, focusing on identifying and countering foreign interference in Albania’s democratic processes. This includes tackling disinformation spread through traditional and social media, as well as addressing financial and economic pressures from external actors.

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The registration process of the Albanian expats to cast their ballots in the upcoming polls kicked off on January 11 and ended on Tuesday, March 4.

In a press statement, DP leader demanded that the registration process be postponed until March 9, saying a relevant normative act was endorsed just three days ago.

“By no means will DP seek to deny the right of Albanian citizens to vote. We think that every applicant should be granted the right to vote and this right should be confirmed,” Berisha stated.

According to him, the refusal would exclude at least 500 000 Albanian citizens from the process.

“The decision would deny 50 000 citizens with expired IDs the right to vote in elections,” he claimed.

Speaking about the opposition’s grand coalition, Berisha said that eight guaranteed seats will go to the DP allies.

According to him, the 25 smaller political parties in the DP-led opposition’s coalition represent one third of the Albanian electorate.

Diaspora’s participation is expected to be key as Albania heads to the polls to elect a new government and parliament.

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